Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV of France (5 September 1638-1 September 1715) was the King of France from 1643 to 1715, and was known for his many attempts to conquer the neighboring United Provinces, Spanish Netherlands, and the Holy Roman Empire.

Biography
Louis XIV was the son of Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, and was a member of both the House of Bourbon and the House of Habsburg. He came to the throne at the age of five, and Cardinal Richelieu served as regent for him in his first few years, overseeing the end of the Thirty Years' War. In 1661, after Regent Mazarin's death, he became the personal ruler of France. In 1660 he married Maria Teresa of Spain, making him the son-in-law of Philip IV of Spain, and when Philip died in 1665, he claimed the Spanish Netherlands through marriage and his mother. He took it over by 1668, and in 1670 he bribed Charles II of England out of the "Triple Alliance" of Great Britain, United Provinces, and the Kingdom of Sweden, and he invaded the Netherlands. In 1678, at the close of the Franco-Dutch War, he gained more of the Spanish Netherlands.

In 1685, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes, which ended the French Wars of Religion in 1598. Three years later he lost influence in the British court when James II of Britain was overthrown by William III of Orange. He responded by attacking the Palatinate, precipitating the War of the Grand Alliance. The conflict was fought in Europe, India, and The Americas, and although Louis won a military victory over the alliance, he won little more; he was bankrupt and had little to no territorial gains.

He started war again in 1701 when Carlos II of Spain died, electing Philip of Valois to the throne. He was disrespected by the Holy Roman Empire, Great Britain, Prussia, and the United Provinces, among other nations, and this resulted in the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1713 peace was reached and Louis died two years later.